


All the Colors Smear

by SomeLittleInfamy



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 13:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20359051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/SomeLittleInfamy
Summary: To say that Alex and Henry don't get along would be the understatement of the century... or at least of the semester. When their art professor tells them to submit the name of someone they absolutely do not want to be paired with for their final project they think they're in the clear...But instead of keeping the students who don't want to work with one another apart, Professor Bankston has other plans. Plans that'll force Alex and Henry -intentionally or not - to learn more about one another besides what they see on the surface.





	All the Colors Smear

“Alright class,” Professor Bankston says. “For the final project this semester I’m going to put you into pairs.” 

An art class was never something that Alex Claremont-Diaz imagined himself in, not in a million years, but when he found himself one elective short and everything else was full… well, sometimes fate has plans for you that you just have to roll with. Turns out he isn’t half bad at it, even when he isn’t trying. In fact, apparently the  _ less  _ he tries the more of an  _ ‘impression’  _ his art has. So yeah, he can definitely work with this to make sure some last-minute elective doesn’t ruin his near-perfect GPA before graduation. Not that law school is going to put too much stock in the fact that his sculpting ability lacks patience, but one can never be too careful. 

Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor , meanwhile, was literally born for this. He grew up with classic works of art lining the walls of every hallway, statues of unquestionable skill decorating every room, and the value of the humanities thrust upon him at every turn. Humanities, of course, in the classical sense. The proper sense. The fact that he wanted to be a creative writer was immediately brushed to the side in favor of enrolling him in a proper, well-rounded education... and if an art class is the closest he can get to proper self-expression then he’ll be damned if he isn’t going to take it. After all, grasping at the straws of what little individuality he’s allowed is what gets Henry by most days. 

Alex and Henry are sitting at opposite ends of the room, which is a very intentional choice on both of their parts. There was an altercation months ago where a few choice words ended with Alex ‘accidentally’ clipping Henry with his shoulder as he stormed off, sending Henry tripping into a fountain. On the way down he’d grabbed Alex, and, well, the rest is history. 

Or at least it would be, if Alex could stop obsessing over every time Henry’s name appears in the school paper for something or another (which happened a  _ lot _ , as Henry’s parents sponsor a wing at the school), wondering why everyone treats him like he’s made of gold when he’s so goddamn  _ boring _ . Or if Henry could stop himself from being distracted by Alex’s boisterous laughter when it rings out in the cafeteria hall, or when he makes a fool out of himself ‘dancing’ at a party that Henry finds himself dragged off to by Pez, silently resenting how little Alex seems to care about anything. 

So it’s no surprise that when Mrs. Bankston mentions assigning pairs the first place either of them look is across the room at one another. Alex rolls his eyes and mouths ‘you wish’ with a wink while Henry just sighs, knowing better than to react. 

“Now, before I assign the partners - and yes, I am  _ assigning _ them, you will not be choosing-” she pauses to relish in the looks of poorly veiled horror at that fact. “-I want you all to write down the name of one person you do not want to work with, and turn that in to me for consideration. I’ll make the list over the weekend and you’ll get the assignment Monday morning.” 

Alex and Henry both have pens scratching away at their notebooks before Mrs. Bankston even finishes speaking, and are the first to turn in their name on the way out. Alex doesn’t like the smirk on Mrs. Bankston’s face as she takes their papers, and Henry especially doesn’t like the way that smirk grows wider after she glances at the names they wrote down.

“I wish whoever gets stuck with your classically-trained  _ snooze-fest _ the best of luck,” Alex taunts the moment they’re in the hallway. 

Henry lets out a huff of air that’s almost, but not quite, a laugh. “And please relay my deepest condolences to whoever has the unfortunate luck to end up working with your haphazard paint splatters.” 

“Fuck you,” Alex mutters, just loud enough for Henry to hear as he storms off in the opposite direction. 

Why, they wonder, does it always have to end like this? 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I read this book in one sitting last night and then couldn't shake the urge to try my hand at writing these two endearing idiots immediately. <3 Comments and thoughts are more than welcome while I find my footing writing these two! 
> 
> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://some-little-infamy.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 ) (...fair warning that twitter is 99% Shadowhunters and 1% me being a garbage fire)


End file.
